Tuesday, March 3, 2015

For fans of Gone Girl, I Hunt Killers, and
TV's How to Get Away with Murder.

Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity
arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it
sounds like a good way to make a little money and liven up a boring senior
year. With the help of his friends Preston and Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc.
Suddenly everybody needs something and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew
lying could be so lucrative?

When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max
doesn’t think twice about hooking him up. Until Preston never comes home. Then
the evidence starts to pile up—terrifying clues that lead the cops to Preston’s
body. Terrifying clues that point to Max as the murderer.

Can Max find the real killer before he goes to prison for a crime he didn’t
commit? In a story that Kirkus Reviews called "Captivating to the very
end," Paula Stokes starts with one single white lie and weaves a twisted
tale that will have readers guessing until the explosive final chapters.

Paula Stokes writes stories about flawed characters with
good hearts who sometimes make bad decisions. She’s the author of several YA
novels, most recently Liars, Inc. and The Art of Lainey. Her writing has been
translated into nine foreign languages. Paula loves kayaking, hiking, reading,
and seeking out new adventures in faraway lands She also loves interacting with
readers. Find her online at authorpaulastokes.com
or on twitter as @pstokesbooks.

Monday, March 2, 2015

T.M. Lazar is the author of The Creatures of Grimmsburg, a YA paranormal series.

Author Interview

Tell
us about the characters in The Last Glass.
Who are Tori and Crispin?

Tori Knight is an American girl who is about to
embark on a journey that will change her life. Tori likes making friends and
finding adventures!

Crispin is a fun guy to be around and he’s very
friendly. He also is half vampire and half warlock.

This
novel is book one in The Creatures of
Grimmsburg series. How many books
do you have planned for this series? When can we expect the next book?

I have 5 books planned. In the next book you’ll get
to find out more about Crispin, and Tori as well.

What
inspired this series?

The town that I live in. My town can be boring at
times. I took my small little town and filled it with monsters!

Grimmsburg
sounds like an intriguing place. Can you share any secrets about it?

I can’t share all, but I can share one. The Ghoul’s
Club keeps an watchful eye on all those who live in Grimmsburg. There you’ll
find a range of monsters.

What
makes The Last Glass different from
other books in the genre?

The Last Glass differs then other books; there’s a
balance between keeping everything modern, and real and going into the
paranormal aspect.

Do
you have a favorite character? Were any harder to write than the others?

I do have a favorite character. He’s different from
all the rest, he’s very witty, but he’s great!! I can’t wait for everyone to
meet him J.
Yes, I found it hard to write from a man’s POV, they don’t share their feelings
a lot but when they do it’s actually pretty amazing.

If
you could travel anywhere in the world, cost being no object, where would you
go?

If I could travel
anywhere I would want to take a trip to London.

When
did you begin writing?

I began writing at the age of 16

Do
you have any advice for new writers just entering these shark infested waters?

If you have a dream, go for it! Don’t let anything
stop or hold you back. If you have a story to tell, write it how you want to
write it and don’t focus on the bad reviews not everyone will enjoy your story,
concentrate on the good ones.

Tori Knight moves to a small New York town where things aren't always what they seem. Though reluctant to leave her old life behind, she meets new friends, and falls for a guy.

Crispin DeMortimer is the most popular boy at Grimmsburg High. He had a summer fling with Natalia, the rich doctor's daughter, and also heir to a secret society. However, when he sees Tori for the first time, he feels an instant connection with her, one he has never felt before. Lucky for him, Tori feels the same.

It's the start of a new chapter, for both Tori and Crispin, and Grimmsburg, NY is where untold secrets will be revealed, and challenges beyond anyone's imagination will be brought forth. Will the secrets of Grimmsburg bring Tori and Crispin together, or will these life changing secrets be too much for them both?

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Senior year is supposed to be fun: boys, dances and graduation. It’s significantly harder to enjoy it when you’re dead.

Thanks to an innocent game of Truth or Dare, I wound up sleeping in a graveyard. Probably not the brightest thing I’ve ever done, but thanks to a couple of well-placed fangs, I’m here to tell the tale.

Everything seems a lot more difficult when you’re a nocturnal creature of the night, especially school. I was managing, but couldn’t keep it hidden from my friends. Steph decided that we should be cool, like superheroes, and fight crime.

I’m a vampire, not a hero. Living in a sleepy New England town, crime is a little harder to come by. At least it is until a serial killer moves into the area. He’s got the authorities stumped, but then again, the cops don’t have a teenage, blood-sucking, non-hero on their team. It doesn’t take long for me to discover the world is full of monsters. I may be one of them…but will I turn out to be the hero, or the killer everyone is looking for.

Character inspiration for Senior Year Bites

People always ask authors where they get
their ideas. Do they base their characters off of people they knew, that kind
of thing.

I don’t directly base my characters off
of anyone. I do draw from experiences though. Everyone does. In the case of
Senior Year Bites, Meg, Steph and Ann’s friendship was drawn from a similar
(without the supernatural elements unfortunately) friendship I had in middle
school and high school.

I had two friends and we hung out
together through most of middle school and part of high school. We did a ton of
things together, especially when we were younger. I drew a lot from that
friendship when I wrote Meg, Steph and Ann. Now, I didn’t say, oh, Steph is D,
Meg is me and Ann is S by any means. There are elements of all of us in each
character. And I did not base Meg off of myself at all. I also drew from other
people and experiences when I shaped those characters.

It was kind of fun to draw from that
past relationship though. Some memories it brought up were great, some painful.
Some were along the lines of ‘what was I thinking.’ My only defense was that I
was young and had a lot to learn. Still do incidentally.

Incidentally, the guys in Senior Year
Bites are not directly drawn from high school people I knew. They were created
the way I make most of my other characters. Little bits from here, little bits
from there.

Anyway, that’s a brief insight into
three of the main characters in Senior Year Bites.

About the Author
Julie has been many things over the last few years, from college student, to bookstore clerk and an over the road trucker. She’s worked as a 911 dispatcher and in computer tech support, but through it all she’s been a writer and when she’s not out riding horses, she can usually be found sitting in front of her computer. She lives in Colorado with her three cats, her vampire-hunting dog Kira, her new horse and Traveler-in training, Triska, and her Irish Sailor. She is the author of many Vampire and Ghost-Hunting Dog stories and the young adult Tales of the Travelers fantasy series. She's the editor for Steampunk Trails and a member of the Horror Writers Association and the Dog Writers Association.

Life isn’t so bad for succubus, Kenna Blake. True, she seems to be the only succubus with a conscience and a specific strategy for finding her male meals, but she has a cute new apartment, a budding graphic design business, and the most unique friends she’s ever had.

Her personal love life, however, is non-existent.

Until the legendary vampire Randal Vincent sweeps into her life. Even though he isn’t someone she set out to date, at least she can kiss him without killing him. But when you’re dating someone who’s the inspiration for Dracula, there are bound to be a few hiccups along the way…

My Review: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

Seduce is a fun, fast-paced supernatural story featuring characters that I really enjoyed reading about. I adored the supernatural world created by Ms. Snyder, along with the variety of paranormal beings all mixing together.

Kenna was sarcastic and I loved her thoughts. Though she was a demon, a succubus, she seemed to care about people and had a conscience. Because she can seriously harm a human male, Kenna must seek a man from the supernatural community. She has to feed on men to survive, but she doesn't enjoy it. I liked the scene toward the beginning where she put a cheating man in his place.

Dex, the comic-relief werewolf, was my favorite character. The things that popped out of his mouth kept me laughing. I wish he was featured more in the story. I'm on the fence about romantic interest Randall. He was an older vampire (supposedly the inspiration for Dracula) with a very sexy vibe. The first meeting between Kenna and Randall was quite amusing. I just never felt the draw toward him that Kenna seemed to, which made the romance less exciting for me.

The ending was rather abrupt and left me groaning in frustration. I hate being left hanging (but that's a personal hang-up). I enjoyed the fast-paced story and the characters quite a bit. If you like paranormal romance with strong female leads, then I think you'll like Kenna's story.

About the Author

Jennifer Snyderlives in North Carolina were shespends most of her timewritingNew AdultandYoungAdultFiction,reading,and struggling tostayontop of housework. She is atea loverwithanobsession forPost-itnotesandsmoothwritingpens. Jenniferlives withher husbandand twochildren,
whoendure listeningtosongs that
spur inspiration on repeatand
tolerate herlovefor
all paranormal,teenage-targeted TV shows.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

We are dying to jump back down the rabbit hole with Heather Lyons' THE HIDDEN LIBRARY! THE HIDDEN LIBRARY is an Adult Romantic Fairy Tale, full of adventure and fantasy and the second book in Heather’s The Collectors' Society Series! Check out the latest fantastic installment in this series that brings you some of the classics with a twist.

Excerpt:
We are about to open the conference room door and enter the hallway when he stops. He turns to me, his lovely eyes achingly sincere. “I want to take you on a date when all of this craziness is over. A real one. We’ve kind of gone about this all backwards, haven’t we?”

One corner of my mouth lifts up. “Are you saying you’d like to court me?”

There is no playfulness to his face, no quirk to his own lips. My heart flutters at his seriousness. “Yes.”

He wants to court me.

Too many emotions rush around in a caucus race throughout my body. I have no doubts of Huckleberry Finn Van Brunt’s feelings toward me. I understood them two minutes ago just as well as I did this morning when I woke up and from the night before and from the day in Wonderland where he said, in not so many words, that he was falling in love with me.

I told him he was my north star, and meant it. He countered we are binaries.

He and I . . . We’ve never said those words, though, not the ones that truly spell out fragile, deep secrets of a heart and soul. Words so easily and yet unfortunately uttered by many, be it to express their appreciation of fried bits of potatoes to sports teams on the television. Words offered so frivolously about a variety of subjects and yet can be the most difficult, most painful, most meaningful, most cherished syllables we gift another person.

I have said these words before, to another man. Another man I still love. One I know, in the deepest confines of my heart, that I will love until the last breath escapes my body. A man who courted me in secret and then publicly in the face of astonishment, disapproval, confusion, and, in the end, prophesies.

I have willingly given the man in front of me my heart, though, whether he knows it or not. He now holds it in his hands, and while I pray he is my future, there is still a part of me that bucks in conflicted confusion and delight by this declaration of his.He wants to court me.

And yet, as sweet and romantic as such a gesture might be, I require no such formalities. My affections for Finn Van Brunt have already solidified into something real and wonderful and meaningful.

ABOUT THE HIDDEN LIBRARY:

Sometimes, the rabbit hole is deeper than expected . . .
Alice Reeve and Finn Van Brunt have tumbled into a life of secrets. Some secrets they share, such as their employment by the clandestine organization known as The Collectors’ Society. Other secrets they carry within them, fighting to keep buried the things that could change everything they think they know.
On the hunt for an elusive villain who is hell-bent on destroying legacies, Alice, Finn, and the rest of the Society are desperate to unravel the mysteries surrounding them. But the farther they spiral down this rabbit hole, the deeper they fall into secrets that will test their loyalties and pit them against enemies both new and old.
Secrets, they come to find, can reveal the deadliest of truths.

Heather Lyons writes epic, heartfelt love stories and has always had a thing for words. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. She and her husband and children live in sunny Southern California and are currently working their way through every cupcakery she can find.

Evil lurks in the desolate Barrens of Krymzyn. For millions of Eras,
predators with insatiable cravings have prowled the wasteland. When a traitor
of the Delta enters their realm, the solitary beasts may finally have a
leader to unite them.

As a new order emerges in the Barrens, Chase and Sash begin their lives
together. While Chase fights to prove he belongs in Krymzyn, the power inside
Sash flourishes in ways no one could have imagined. But a vengeance from
the wasteland is soon unleashed upon them.

After Chase is trapped deep in the Barrens, his only escape is into the
Infinite Expanse. Unaware of the deathly perils that take shape there, he may
be lost forever. For Sash to return him from the endless wilderness,
she’ll have to harness a mystical energy not seen since the beginning of time.

BC
Powell is a fantasy author from Los Angeles, CA. His debut science fiction
fantasy novel "Krymzyn" was published in October, 2014. "The
Infinite Expanse", the highly anticipated second book in "The
Journals of Krymzyn" series, is scheduled for release on March 31, 2015.

Powell has a diverse background, having held several creative positions in the
entertainment industry, including executive roles at ABC-TV and Technicolor. In
recent years, he's authored several non-fiction works, primarily
educational books and training programs for trading the financial markets. He
dual majored in journalism and philosophy at Trinity University in San
Antonio, Texas.

Writing fiction has been his lifelong passion and goal. “The Journals of
Krymzyn” represents, in his words, “finally finding the story I want to tell
with characters that are able to bring that story to life.” He's an avid
reader and lists Ernest Hemingway, Frank L. Herbert, Stephen King, Jane Austen,
and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. as his favorite authors.

Brad, as he prefers to go by in personal communication, lives with his longtime
girlfriend, three sons from a previous marriage, and their rescue dog and cat.
He enjoys hiking, ocean kayaking, spending time at Southern California
beaches, movies, and reading.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Fourteen years before The Rock of Ivanore…
Jayson lives among the shadows of Hestoria, his sole purpose for staying alive – to protect his half of the Seer’s crystal. Exiled from his homeland for loving the king’s daughter, Ivanore, Jayson is now pursued by two opposing factions: the Vatéz (League of Magicians) who intend to use the crystal for their own selfish gain, and the Guilde, the ancient guardians of the crystal.
Meanwhile, Ivanore flees from her father to Hestoria in search of Jayson. As the Seer, she is plagued with visions of him being tortured and is determined to rescue him. When the Vatéz capture her, however, she unwittingly jeopardizes everything Jayson has vowed to protect. He must now make a terrible choice: Should he save Ivanore or save the crystal?
The Crystal Keeper trilogy is available in print or digital formats.

Ivanore hunched over the parchment, the tip of her quill flicking above her hand like a trapped bird desperate to escape. The tallow candle cast a cramped circle of light across the table, hardly enough to see by. If only the night would last a little longer. Perhaps then she would have enough time to write everything she needed to. But alas, time was one thing she had too little of—that and light.

An older man with long, gray-streaked hair and piercing gray eyes waited beside her. The stone bungalow, their most recent of many hiding places, boasted the barest of furnishings: the table, stool, cot—and a plain wooden chest, its key held tightly in Zyll’s fist.

A sudden thump sounded at the door, startling them both. A strand of Ivanore’s hair, gold as the candlelight, fell across the page. She quickly tucked it back into place and wrote faster.

Zyll laid a hand on Ivanore’s shoulder. “They are here,” he whispered.

Ivanore finished the document and handed it to Zyll unbound. Turning to the chest, he carefully laid the pages inside.

“Wait,” said Ivanore. “Will you keep this as well?” A flat circle of pale green crystal lay in her open palm.

“But you will need it. I mustn’t—”

“Please,” she insisted, pressing it into his hand. “I can’t risk losing this one.”

Zyll reluctantly folded his fingers around the cool stone. “Of course, milady,” he said. Then, adding the crystal to the parchment, he laid a plate of thin wood atop them both, sealing the chest’s false bottom. He closed the lid and locked it.

The pounding at the door grew more insistent. Whoever stood outside was using their full weight against it in an effort to break through.

“We must hurry,” said Zyll.

Ivanore allowed herself a quick glance at the chest, offering the briefest of prayers that the gods would keep it safe until her return. Then, taking her by the arm, Zyll led her through the low archway dividing the bungalow’s front room from the back.

A loud crash of splintering wood resounded through the bungalow. Their visitors had finally broken in.

“Find her now!” a deep voice bellowed.

Grateful for the trousers she now wore instead of her usual cumbersome skirts, Ivanore clambered onto a stool and through a narrow window, lowering herself as quietly as possible to the ground outside. Once Zyll had done the same, they stole away across the rocky field. Though the sky was black as ink, their path was illuminated by the amber glow of volcanic fissures scoring the area for miles around.

“There she is!” a man’s voice shouted behind them. The words sent spasms of fear through Ivanore. She glanced behind her and saw three soldiers emerge from the bungalow, wearing the gold and red cross of her father’s crest. They had tracked her even here, to the remotest corner of Imaness. Would Fredric ever let her be?

Ivanore stopped running. She looked at Zyll, her trusted guardian and ally these past months since she had fled Dokur, and knew her time with him had come to an end.

“You’ll watch over them until I return?” she asked, out of breath. “Keep them safe. Don’t let my father find them.”

“You have my vow,” Zyll whispered, his voice tight with emotion.

Ivanore’s eyes welled with tears as she pressed her lips against the calloused skin of Zyll’s hand.

“Go,” said Zyll. “Go now before it’s too late.”

Ivanore released Zyll’s hand and sprinted forward alone. As she ran, she cupped her hands around her mouth and let out a loud, sharp call, much like that of a hawk or an eagle. She risked another glance over her shoulder and watched as Zyll turned to face their pursuers. As the soldiers neared, their swords glinting in the fire glow, Zyll held up his hands. A horizontal bolt of cerulean lightning shot out from his palms, striking the oncoming soldiers. The men recoiled, their bodies instantly singed and bloody.
Ivanore ran on. In desperation, she repeated her call, and this time another voice called back. A dark form appeared on the horizon, silhouetted against the light of the volcanic fractures and growing larger as it approached with tremendous speed. As it neared, the creature’s massive feathered wings moved the air around Ivanore in warm, powerful gusts. Ivanore saw clearly its eagle’s head with a beak large enough to break a man in two, paired with the muscular, furred body of a lion. As she ran toward it, the gryphon lowered its head, waiting.

Behind her, the soldiers reeled in pain, but they did not forget their duty. One man struggled to his knees, grunting from the effort. Reaching over his shoulder, he slid a short bow and arrow from his pack and swiftly took aim.

Ivanore reached the gryphon and in one smooth motion hoisted herself onto its back, twisting her arms deep into the feathers on the creature’s neck. In that same moment, a single arrow found its mark in Ivanore’s shoulder. She cried out before her body slumped forward and her mind went dark. The gryphon took flight then, and in less time than it took to draw another arrow—or a breath—they had vanished into the night.

Author Laurisa White Reyes

After spending more than a decade as a newspaper editorialist, magazine staff writer, and book editor, Laurisa finally started living her dream of being an author. She is the author of three novels for younger readers, the editor-in-chief of Middle Shelf Magazine, and Senior Editor of Skyrocket Press. She lives in Southern California with her husband and five children.

Crystal Keeper Launch Giveaway - Kindle Fire HD 6

Ends 2/28/15

Book Blast Giveaway
$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 3/15/15
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

YA/NA Bestselling Fantasy Romance

New YA/NA Fantasy Romance

YA Paranormal Romance

Kimber Leigh Wheaton YA/NA Author

Looking for Something?

Grab My Button

About Me

Bestselling YA/NA author with a soft spot for sweet romance. She is married
to her soul mate, has a teenage son, and shares her home with three dogs, four
cats, and lots of dragons. No, she doesn’t live on a farm, she just loves
animals. Kimber Leigh is addicted to romance, videogames, superheroes, villains,
and chocolate—not necessarily in that order. (If she has to choose, she’ll take
a chocolate covered superhero!) She currently lives in San Antonio, TX but has
been somewhat a rolling stone in life, having resided in several different
cities and states.